Stake-and-rail fence



(No Model.)

A. o. MORGAN. s TAKB AND NAIL FENCE. No. 394,874. Patented Deo. 18, 1888.

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ALDIS O. MORGAN, OF IIERMON, NEIV. YORK.

STAKE-ANDuRAlL FENCE.

SPECIFICATION formng'partof Letters Patent No. 394,874, dated December 18, 1888. Application filed March 2, 1888. Serial No. 266,001. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom t may] concern:

l'le it known that I, ALDls O. MORGAN, a citizen ot' the United States, and a resident ol' Ilermon, St. Lawrence county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Fence, of which the tollowin is a specification.

The nature of my improvement consists in a straight farm-.tence which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, durable in use, and yet strong, as will be hereinafter specified, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

My improvement is shown iu the accompanying drawings, to which reference is made, and which t'orms a part ot' this description, in which like letters and characters refer to similar parts, and in which- Figure I is a perspective View of a tence built in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section thereol".

I will now proceed to describe my improvement in such full, clear, and exact terms that any one skilled Ain the art to which the invention appertains will be able to make, construct, build, and use the same.

In setting up my tence I ordinarily make use of a series of temporary supports or blocks, (not shown in the drawings,) ono at each end of the rails F, which blocks al'e advisedly short pieces ot' board or plank about twenty-eight or thirty incheslong and lightly driven into the earth attlleirlower ends. On these boards or blocks as a scal't'old I place two or more ol' the line of rails, F, and drive a pair ot stakes, A and (i, ot unequal length firmly into the ground at an angle across the top of the said rails near each end, these two stakes being substantially in a vertical plane at a right angle to the length ot' the tence. In the fork or crotch made by the crossing ot' these stakes I lay the upper rail, E, ot' the panel. I then drive securelyin'to the ground the vertical post or stake Il, causing the same to rest in direct contact with the two rails F and E, already placed, and also in direct contact with one ot' the crossed stakes, preterably the longer, (marked A.) It is also preferred t'or strength and durability that the vertical stake be always set on the same side ot' the series ol cross-stakes in the line where When I have brought the ends ot' the rails F and E ot' these adjacent panels together, as shown in the drawings, and settled them snugly into their seats in both the upper and under crotches or forks ot the crossed stakes, I preferably cut a light gain or notch, t), in the vertical post Il just above the level of the rail E. Into this notch I draw a wire, I, and pass one end ot it on and about the stake A and around the stake O, where its end is intertwisted with the remaining end of the wire drawn down frointhe notch across the top of the rail E. The wire I thus iirmly binds together the rail E and the three stakes A B C at their several points of contact, making a broad, strong, and solid abutment at the end ot every panel in the fence. I then place the top rails, D, in the fork made by the vertical stake Il and the inclined stake A, and, havingsnuglyseated them therein, proceed to fasten the wire K to the upper extremity ot the inclined stake. I then draw the free end of the wire K down over the top rails, D, thus seated in the fork of the stakes, and over the ends of the rails E, resting in the upper fork ot' the inclined stakes and on under fork ot' these same stakes. I then 'draw the it'ree end ot` the wire K tightly about the short stake C, nearly o pposite the line ot rails F, and securely tasten the same to the said stake. This also binds the three rails ot each extremity of any two adjacent panels firmly together and to the three stakes where the extremities ot' the panels come together. The temporary supports or blocks upon which the rails F have rested are now withdrawn and other panels ot' the fence are put up. 'lhe bottom rails, G,ot' the fence are now secured by a short bightol' wire, M, to the lowercnd ol' the longerstakes, A, near the gronm'l.

lo prevent any possible longitudinal collapse ol' the tence as above constructed, Iprovide a pair ot brace -rails, fll, in adjacent panels, as shown. One end ot` eachbrace-rail ot' the pair is tit-ted to bear agz'iinst thc top ot' the vertical stake ll. The other end 0l' the pair is made to bear against the bottoni or lower end of the two adjoiu ing vertical stakes B. So lirm and durable is the tence, however, made as hereinabove described, that while the tence extends in a perfectly straight line it is found in practice to be unnecessary that every panel should be braced against IOO longitudinal collapse. A llnaee at every six or eight rods in the line ot' the teneeis found to be quite suliieient.

It will he observed (see Fig. 2 ot' the drawings) that the lenee herein deserilxid does not maintain a 'Vertieal position-that is to :sa-y, the rails comprisingI the several panels do not rest one directlyv over the other, as in ordinalw fences. On the contrary, the bottoni rail, M, and the iop rail, l), with the rails that are intermediate, are in a planewhieh is inclined in quite an angle less than a right angle to the surl'ace ot the ground upon which the tence stands. 'lhis feature I estimate als ot' much Value in a` tence oi the character deseribed. An animal Yis turned h V a tence not alone hy its height, hut hy its dirl'lieulty to overeome. A broad barrier is elletual to turn an unruly animal, whereas ot'tcn a merel)v high one is inetl'eetual to restrain it.

In my ienee an animal eoming up with an intent to vault overiinds itself hindered upon either side het'ore ilv reaehes the aetllzt'l dit'iiculti'. (lu the one side the hottom rail, M, prevei'lts the animal trom getting` its nose over the top rnil. (')n the other side it can get its nose over, hutonly to see the hrend harricr g ahead, beyond which it mustleap het'ore it can elear the l'enee, and it is well known that most. domestic animals will not orf'linarily unA dertake to Vault a tcnee which they do not li'eel able to ell'eetually clear.

Having now, therefore, fully ascertained and set forth my improvement, what I Claim, and desire to .secure hy Letters Patent ot the United States, is-

l. The fence herein deseribed, comprising a panel having a pairof crossed stakes at each end, a rail resting' in the erotehes thereof, a vertieal starke infovid ed with a gain or eut, as

described, in oontaet with the rail and the said crossed starkes, and a hight ot wire passing within the said gain or cut in the Vertical stalk e and around the crossed stakes and the rail to seeure the same lirmly together, as set 'ortll.

2. The l'enee herein deserihed, eomprising a panel havin g aipairot crossed stakes at each end, two rails resting the one in the upper and the other in the under orlower erotehes thereof, av vertical stake in eontaict with the said rails and the said crossed stakes, a hight ot' wire securing` the said stakes and upper Arails seeurcly together, a third rail resting in the erotches made hy the Vertical stakes and one ot' the crossed stakes ot eaeh pair, and a supplemental hight ot wire securing the said third rail, the stakes, and the Iirst and second rails lirml \v together, as set forth.

ALD'IS t). MORGAN'.

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il). Il. Wurm, 512mm' Jo'uNsoN. 

